Jake

“Damn Steph, slow down!” I holler, loud enough for Stephanie to stop. She blinks her long lashes at me and puckers her lips in disapproval. Laying on my bed, I roll her off of me and sigh, rubbing my hands over my face in frustration. Usually, I am in the mood for Stephanie to ride me until we both collapse from exhaustion, but today, I am just not in the mood. When I’m not in the mood, it will end with her saying-

“Babe, why do you have to be like this? I don’t just come to your room just for us to cuddle and talk. We can do that downstairs.”

-And I always reply with, “Steph, sweetie, just give me a moment. I am just thinking about something that is bothering me right now.”

“Well, whatever is bothering you can wait. I haven’t seen you in almost two weeks, and I have been waiting all day to have you alone finally. So take your clothes off, and let’s get to it.”

Stephanie is taking her shirt off as she speaks, and staring at her, I am suddenly finding her bitching unattractive. Now, I used to be completely turned on when she would get to her demanding ways, but today, I just want to shove her shirt in her hands and kick her out of my room, which I am two seconds away from doing.

“Put your shirt back on. I told you I am not in the mood, so respect that please.” I scorn, sitting up and take a sip of the water on my night stand. Sour, Stephanie huffs out, putting her shirt back on in a rush and getting off the bed.

Heading to the door, she pauses and turns to me to say, “When you want to stop being a prick and get over yourself, call me.” Before I have the time to comment, she is already out the door.

“Good riddance,” I mutter, reaching into my drawer for my vape. My parents don’t believe in smoking nor drinking, so obviously, I do all of that in secret, including my vape. Stephanie also hates when I am vaping, but I don’t give a s**t what she cares for.

Stephanie and I have been off and on again since eighth grade. I knew Stephanie back then as the sweet girl with the striking gray eyes and freckles across her nose. Her hair was light brown versus her blonde hair, and she always needed her inhaler for her asthma. Then, one day, I see her in our English class, and I barely recognize her. Her beautiful gray eyes transformed into emotionless blue eyes, her freckles covered up, and her light brown hair no longer existed. She was the typical blonde girl next door, and I hated every part of it. Yet, I still decided to date her, knowing good well that would cause conflict in my life, and I was right.

Five years, Stephanie and I have battled her bulimia, my depression, her dad’s remarriage, and my sister’s cancer. We have broken up three times, the first time because of my depression, the second time because of her cheating, and the third time because of her bickering. I know it is shallow of me to break up with a girl because of her bickering, but you stay a whole day with Stephanie calling you a b***h and worthless piece of s**t, and you will understand why. I love Stephanie, but there are days where I can’t take her abuse nor her bullshit, which brings me to what is bothering me today.

Earlier, Stephanie talked about applying for Penn State. Now, she knows I want to go to the Vanderbilt and study political science and pre-law like my dad. With that said, she hates being in Tennessee, saying it brings horrible memories, and that she wants to move out of this state, and she expects me to feel the same way, to go with her to Pennsylvania. Again, as I said, I love Stephanie, but moving to another state, away from my family, to stay with a girl who I know only wants me for the status is beyond absurd. I am not risking my career and future on a girl who will leave me once she finds another guy with more cash in his pocket. That’s how she cheated on me; she got to travel to Paris on a trip with her family and called me a week later, talking about she had sex with some guy she met at a club. From the gossip of her clique, he was a few inches taller than me, had bigger biceps, six pack abs, a model face, and in their words, “rocked her world in bed.”

Of course, I f*****g broke up with her! I was not going to be played the fool and definitely not humiliated. She begged and whined for me to get back with her because she was sorry, and it would never happen again. I couldn’t even look her in the eyes because I knew that those same blue-gray eyes lusting for me were lusting for him while they were in bed. Touching her made me hurled because I knew his hands were all over her body. I used to love staring at Stephanie’s body, for since eighth grade, her b***s went up a few sizes, perky and at attention, and her a*s got round from all of the squats she did. Now, there are times where I have to refrain from touching any of her goodies because it would only bring back the memory of the Parisian guy enjoying them.

Why did I get back with her, you might ask? Because even though I couldn’t stand Stephanie and how she treated me, there is always that connection between us that shakes me out of my hatred for her and wanting to wrap her around me. I despise myself for it, but I am a seventeen years old guy with hormones galore, and she is a seventeen years old girl needing someone to pick her up when needed.

I hear a bing on the side of my ears, and I move to the side of my bed to retrieve my phone. Expecting a text from Stephanie apologizing for whatever she did wrong, I was quite surprised to see it was from the new guy, Liam.

Hey, can I still come over to your house? I know you invited me, but I wanted to make sure.

Laughing, I replied, telling him, yes, and I am expecting him to be already on his way. Putting my phone down, I grab my shirt off of the floor, putting it on while I step into my shoes. I reach for my phone, put my vape back in my drawer, and walk out of my room, shutting the door behind me. I can hear the mutters of conversations downstairs, a few of my friends probably playing with my gaming system. My parents recently got me the newest Xbox system, but I have been letting my closest buddies play on it, for I got bored of it within a month. Once down the stairs, I see Jackie in the kitchen, putting some cookies in containers. Approaching her, I notice her earphones in her ears and can hear her favorite band, London Grammar, blasting. Usually, I would tap Jackie on the shoulders for her attention, but this time instead, I decide to stare at her, leaning over the kitchen island to put my face close to her. Immediately, Jackie shrieks and jumps, her hand over her heart. Laughing and pointing at her in amusement, she moves away from the island and starts hitting me on my arms and chest.

“Jason, don’t do that!” She yells, smacking me against my chest. Pulling away, I smirk at her and run towards the living room. I can hear her, hollering about telling mom when she comes home, but Jackie and I both know that mom and dad won’t punish us for harmless pranks. I once scared her with my pet snake, Milton by putting him out of his cage and into her room. Milton wasn't poisonous nor dangerous, but seeing her shriek when he was in her bed cracked me up. Unfortunately, he died a year later.

Thinking about Milton brings my spirit down, for he was my favorite pet I ever received, but the minute I see a truck pull up to my driveway through the windows, I shake off the thought of Milton and head towards the front door. I am thrilled that Liam is coming over. Liam seems like the type of guy that could be the best receiver for her football team, for the minute I saw him, I texted the guys and told them we had found a new member to the team. Of course, I want to be his friend as well, for, with his appearance, he is already causing attention at our school. Stephanie approves of him joining our group, knowing that he would be perfect for us. I also have a hint that because she saw him with the Cheryl girl, Stephanie just wants to be petty and take away another friend from Cheryl. When Stephanie does that s**t, I am always thankful that Cheryl punched the hell out of Steph. Karma can be a b***h, sometimes.

Opening the door, I see Liam has changed from the black tee shirt I saw him in earlier to a football jersey. Now, I am pumped up because this means that chatting him up about sports and joining the team would be easier than expected.

“What’s up, man?” I reach my hand out, and Liam grabs it, giving me a half hug before quickly letting go.

“Nothing much, dude. Wow, you got a sick house. Your parents must be like filthy rich.” I can see the amusement in his eyes, and I just grin, widening my door for him to come in.

“Yeah, my parents are close to being filthy rich. You should see our house in Santa Barbara. It has an infinity pool with a hot tub that overlooks a hill.” I exclaim, bringing Liam to the living room where all of the guys take their glares away from the television screen to us.

“Ah, you must be the new guy I heard my girlfriend talked about f*****g today.” Jordan, a bulk guy with ginger hair, is staring straight at Liam, his eyes narrowing. I can see how uncomfortable Liam is, so I burst out a laugh, going over to give Jordan a good old pat on the back.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, Jordan, Stephanie mentioned leaving me for him, but you know, Liam, our friend here, can’t help the way he looks. With a tan like that, I envy him.” I direct my eyes at Liam, smiling, hoping it brings ease for him. “Guys, this is Liam Kennard, straight from Santa Fe and hopefully, our new receiver, if he has the skills.”

“Whoa, whoa, receiver?” Liam says with confusion across his face. Maybe convincing him to join the team would be more of a challenge than expected.

“Yes, receiver, man. Our football team is in dire need of a new receiver, and we are hoping you are our guy. I mean, you can’t tell us you don’t play football while you are wearing a Dallas Cowboy jersey.”

“Well, I mean yeah, I played football in Santa Fe, but I was the school’s quarterback. I have never played receiver before plus I was hoping to spend my senior year here just catching up on my grades.” Liam shrugs, putting his hands in his pocket.

“Well, you could become our quarterback, but Jake himself has that position.” Kevin points towards me while staring at Liam. Jordan, Kevin, Mark and Quinton both know that I will not give away my position as quarterback, for I have managed to get our school into the championship two years in a row. Replacing me with a stranger from Santa Fe will be suicide, cursing the school of a three-time championship streak. So, a thought comes to my head, and I stand up, approaching Liam.

“Come outside and play some football with us. Prove to us that you have the skills and talents that would qualify you. It will be a game between me, Jordan, and Kevin versus you, Quinton, and Mark. If you win, we won’t bother you about joining the team again, but if you lose, you have to talk to the coach first thing tomorrow.” Reaching my hand out, Liam stares at me, and I can tell he is pondering about it. After a few seconds, he sighs and shakes my hand, nodding.

“Deal, man.” Breaking the handshake, I clap my hands together and direct the guys to head to the backyard, Kevin grabbing his football from his bag. Before I step out the back door, I hear Jackie call my name, and I tell the guys to wait for me.

“What’s up, Jacqueline?” I stand in front of her, folding my arms.

“I’m just letting you know that I will be going out tonight with a friend. If Ma and Pop asks, tell them I will be back before 10 p.m. Okay?” She replies, holding two containers of cookies in her hand and her car keys in her other hand.

“Yeah, yeah, I will tell them, sis.” I mutter and turn towards the back door, waving Jacqueline goodbye.

Outside, Liam is talking with Quinton and Mark all three huddled up while Jordan and Kevin throw the football to each other. “Alright, fellas, let’s get this s**t going!” I run towards Jordan and Kevin, setting them to the side to chat up our game plan. “Okay, here is the plan, so we all know that since Liam has played quarterback, Mark and Quinton are going to give him the ball the entire time, so you two need to make sure that I am guarded and take Liam down. If we are going to get Liam to join our team, we have to show him he will be joining the greatest team in Tennessee. Now, are we ready to do this?” Both Kevin and Jordan nod, and we excite each other up before getting in our positions.

Liam dismisses Mark and Quinton as well, and I see that all of them took off their shirts, showing off their chests and abs. My eyes are meeting Kevin and Jordan, we all get the same cue and pull our shirts off. I don’t like to be outshined, and if we are comparing each other’s bodies, I think I am way hotter than Liam. He might have a six pack, but with my broad shoulders and bulk chest, I think I am a winner.

“When did this game become all skin?” He jokes as I stand close to Liam, sizing him up. Liam smirks, folding his arms across his chest.

“Well, I thought we were going to have just a skin versus shirts game, but I couldn’t be on the side of the shirts, so figure might as well make it all skin.” I grin, straightening my back. We are almost the same height, except Liam is about three inches taller than me. That won’t stop me from beating him and showing him who’s the alpha.

“Shall we start this game?” He points toward Jordan, who is holding the football. Jordan spits on the ground, narrowing his eyes at Liam with irritation.

“I have been ready to start. I’m just waiting on you.” I sneer as a huge grin spread on his face. I can’t wait to smack that stupid grin off his face.

I back up and position the ball, my eyes staring straight at Liam’s eyes, giving him a message that I don’t play around. I glance back to see Jordan and Kevin, nodding for Jordan to begin. Calling out orders, Jordan throws the ball back towards me, and I sprint toward the fence of my backyard, where they have claimed as their end. Before I am close to making a touchdown, someone charges from the right and my body meets the ground with a thud. Looking to see who tackled me down, I see that it was Mark, and I almost burst out in laughter. Mark and I have been friends since ninth grade, and he is like the biggest teddy bear I have ever met, for he wouldn’t harm an insect. When Coach Harrison made him guard, it threw him for a loop because he thought he would become the wide receiver or the tight end, but with Mark’s physique, it made sense. I still like to have a few chuckles here or there because after stopping one of the guys from smashing his foot on a bee, it is just funny seeing him tackle me down.

Mark helps lift me off the ground, and I pat him on the back, laughing. “Damn, Mark, that was quite a tackle.”

“Sorry, man, I got into the game.” Mark shrugs but has a devious smile on his face.

“Hey, we can continue the bromance later on. Right now, we are playing a game.” Kevin yells out, and I give him a middle finger. Liam snorts, and I dart my eyes towards him. With the ball aim in his direction, I laugh at him.

“You can think this is all funny, but it won’t be funny when we are on the losing side.” Smirking, I get back to Jordan to continue the game. Throwing the ball, I try at another attempt for the touchdown, in which when I miss Quinton’s tackle, I fall on the ground. I hear Kevin call touchdown, and I slam the ball on the ground, pumping my chest with my hands. Liam shakes his head, and I see the grin on his face disappear, determination growing his eyes. I knew I would slap that smile off of his face.

We played for an hour, sweat dripping from everyone’s bodies from a mixture of the heat and running. I have a few bruises on my arms and chest from Mark and Quinton tackling me down onto the grass, but Liam also suffered from his contact with Jordan and Kevin, who are a little bigger than Mark and Quinton. A few curses were mouthed, and at one point, Jordan and Liam almost broke off into a fight after Liam bump Jordan onto the ground with amazing strength. All in all, after Liam, reach the other end of the backyard for the last touchdown of the game, that was when I knew that I have lost. After calculating the points, the final score was 14-12.

“Well, I guess the game is over with, and if I have been rounding up the score, I won by two points?” Liam smirks, high-fiving Mark and Quinton. Jordan puffs out, and march toward the back screen door, slamming it behind him.

“Yeah, yeah, you won, new guy. That was a good game.” I reach my hand out, and Liam shakes it with a firm grip, smiling at me.

“Don’t worry, Jake, I am still going to talk to your coach about joining the team. Playing with you guys, I have realized how much I miss playing the game.” Astonished by his response, I go in for a half hug, patting Liam on the back.

“Man, that’s great to hear. Trust me, the team would love you. After seeing the way you tackle down Jordan, I think Coach Harrison would want you on the team.”

“Jake, you got a visitor” I overhear Jordan shout from inside, opening the back door. Turning my head, the smile I had on my face is immediately replaced with a bitter frown. Stepping out of the door, Stephanie whistles as she stares at all of the guys in front of her.

“What the hell are you doing here, Steph? I thought you left.” I fold my arms across my chest, my whole body turns to her direction. She begins strolling towards me, her eyes making it way down my body.

“Well, I came back because I left my purse, but then I saw an unexpected car in your driveway, and I had to come see who was your special guest.” She puts a finger in her mouth, biting on it as her eyes roam away from me and onto Liam’s body. “I’m glad I came back for my purse.” Lust smudge all over her face and in her eyes, she stretches her hand out to Liam. “You must be the new guy, Liam, correct?”

Looking at me for permission, I nod at Liam, and his glare meets Stephanie’s as he grabs her hand and shakes it. “Yes, it is Liam, and you must be Jake’s girlfriend, Stephanie.”

“Call me Steph, if you please.” It is a long minute before Stephanie lets go, putting her finger back between her lips as her eyes undress the rest of Liam.

“Stephanie, if you grabbed your purse, don’t you think you should be back on your way home?” I interrupt, my face becoming hard with irritation. Stephanie is doing this s**t on purpose because I didn’t please her like she wants to be pleased. She craves for attention, and right now, she is begging for my attention by trying to get me jealous.

“Yes, I am about to leave, but before I leave, I was wondering if our new friend here would like to accept my invitation for my back to school party at my house?” She faces me with amusement on her face, and I know that she has a trick up her sleeve. God, this woman causes my blood pressure to rise.

“Well, um, I can’t reject a party invitation. I would love to meet some more people around here, so sure. When is it?” Liam places his arm behind his neck, gripping the back of his neck with discomfort on his face.

Redirecting her attention to him, Stephanie gives him one of her flirty smiles, the one that says that if I were not close to her, she would eat Liam up. “This Friday, 8 pm at my house. I can put my address on your phone.”

“Um, yeah, yeah, let me go grab it.” Liam almost dashes into the house, and the rest of the guys follow behind him, knowing that an argument is about to happen between Stephanie and me. The minute I hear the sound of the door hit against the frame, I look straight at Stephanie with such frustration that I put my hands through my hair to control me my anger and keep my hands place behind my head.

“Stephanie, why do you play games with me? Like, why do you do this to me?” I say through gritted teeth, not even wanting to stare at her as she bats her lashes at me with her puzzled face. God, as much as I want to be angry at her when she makes that face, I feel like I am being put under a spell.

“Jakey, sweetie, I am not playing any games with you, and you know that.” I can smell the fragrance of her sweet perfume, a hint of lavender and citrus as Stephanie walks closer to me. Her hand is touching my arm, and I can’t help but open my eyes. Her natural gray eyes are blended with the blue of her contacts, appearing as beautiful as ever as they are glaring into my eyes. The minute I feel her lips coming towards my face, I already can tell I am going to regret what I am going to do next. I kiss her hard on the lips, my hands roaming down her figure towards her a*s, pulling her close to my body. She gasps under my mouth, and I pull my lips back, knowing that any further kissing would lead to us making out in my room.

“Steph, once you put your address in Liam’s phone, I want you to leave because I am still not in the mood to fool around with you today.” My frown softens as I look back into Stephanie’s eyes. Sporting a pout on her lips, I glance beyond her shoulders to see Liam, with his jersey back on and standing halfway in the door, uneasiness expressed on his face. I motions for him to come over, and he walks over to where Stephanie and I are, still seeming uncomfortable for interrupting time with Stephanie and me.

“Here is Liam, Stephanie. Put your address on his phone so that you can go on your way.” Moping, Stephanie swirls around and grab the phone in Liam’s hand. Typing her address into his phone, she sighs before giving Liam back his phone.

“I know Jake offer you to join us for lunch earlier today, but you had other plans. So do you think you can eat with us tomorrow for lunch? My friends will love to meet you.” Stephanie gives Liam a smile, leading Liam to smile back awkwardly.

“Um, yeah, I don’t mind eating with you guys.”

“Great!” Stephanie cheers, stepping back to head towards the back door. “Meet us by Gee’s Diner around noon. I will see you both tomorrow at school.” Blowing kisses, I can’t tell if they were aimed at me, Liam, or both. Once she exits through the door, Liam meets my glare, and we both burst out laughing.

“Sorry about her. She is a little bit insane, but man, I am under her spell.” We both start walking towards the door, me opening the door for Liam.

“It’s cool, dude. I partially understand what you mean.” He grins, putting his phone in jean pockets while grabbing his car keys.

“Well, with you hanging out with Cheryl, I expect you to get a taste of craziness. Are you going to tap that, man?” The guys are sitting on the couch, going back to playing their game on the Xbox, but I can tell they are listening in on our conversation.

“Um, well, I mean Cheryl and I are friends, plus she is a hard nut to crack. I think being friends is better.”

“Dude, being friends with a hot girl like that doesn’t get your nuts bust. It gets you the saddest blue balls ever.” I see from the corner of my eyes, half of the guys nodding in agreement.

“I don’t know, Jake. I am not hoping to get in her pants.” Liam is going towards the front door, jiggling his keys in his hand.

“Well, all I am saying is that a girl like that who can fight the way she did last year is not a girl you simply be friends with. I wouldn’t.” I nudge Liam on his arm, winking at him. He laughs awkwardly before opening the door.

“I will consider that. It was great hanging out with you guys. I guess I will see you tomorrow at school.” Liam begins waving at the guys. Everyone except Jordan says their goodbyes before he steps out of the door.

“Coach Harrison is usually at his office before school starts at like around 7:30. Go to the football field, and you’ll see the locker room. That is where his office is located. Let me know around lunch what he says.” In response, Liam nods his head and waves goodbye, thanking me for inviting him over.

Shutting the door, I sigh out in joy. “Well, fellows, he looks like this will be an exciting football season.”

“I say. The way he pushes Jordan and me onto the ground, he is the perfect guy for receiver. Better than f*****g Gomez.” Kevin admits, leaning back in his chair.

“F*****g Gomez would have been great had he not cheated on his test. We wouldn’t be in his predicament if he didn’t.” Jordan sneer, his arms across his chest.

“Well, I am glad Gomez cheated on his test because we wouldn’t have Liam, and with him, we have a shot at being the best high school team in the whole state.” I sink into the couch next to Jordan, punching him lightly on the arms. “This is a good thing, man. You are just upset because a small guy brought you down to the ground.”

“No, it is just that I can sense trouble with him. He is the type of pretty guy that will cause problems in this town.” I crack up laughing at Jordan’s statement, slapping him on the arms.

“Whatever you say, man.” I lean back as Mark and Kevin start playing their game again. However, what Jordan says is still on my mind. Maybe he is right, this new guy will cause problems in this time, but at the same time, it would be great to have a little bit more entertainment in this town. Clifford Heights is one of the most boring cities ever, but being from here, I have a deep love for this boredom of a city. Liam might just be the spark of fun this town needs, and I can’t wait to see what unravels.